The Batman's Original Penguin Design Was Shockingly Different
Colin Farrell's interpretation of The Batman's Penguin almost looked completely different, according to newly released concept art. The Batman is the most recent interpretation of the iconic DC character. Helmed by Matt Reeves, the film follows Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of crime-fighting, as he tracks down a mysterious new serial killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano). The Batman, set outside of the ongoing DCEU continuity, brings a fresh look to many of the classic characters from the original comic books.
While Dano's version of the Riddler has certainly been frightening for many fans, one of the standout elements of The Batman has been Farrell's Penguin. Despite having seen many different interpretations over the years, the villain is almost always depicted as quite ugly, and often sports some deformity that may remind some of the bird that gave him his nickname. For Farrell, achieving The Batman's Penguin look involved both a body suit and a large amount of prosthetic makeup, which took between two and four hours to apply every day. In the final cut of The Batman, the actor is virtually unrecognizable.
With Farrell's Penguin now established on screen, it may be hard to believe that the filmmakers behind The Batman were originally considering a different look for the character. The new book The Art of the Batman (as tweeted by @Bat_Source) reveals some of the original concept art for Penguin, designed by Adam Brockbank. Instead of the grizzled look Farrell sports in the film, the art shows the actor with no prosthetic makeup, and wearing several dashing suits. In fact, the only thing that seems to remain from this concept in The Batman is perhaps the Penguin's shoes. See the images below:
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Going with this design for the Penguin certainly would have been a departure for The Batman, as Farrell is widely accepted to be a very attractive actor. It is unclear why exactly Reeves and his team decided to move away from this look, though it appears they were originally planning to use Farrell's looks to their advantage. The concept art still gives off a sinister vibe for the character, though it can't be denied that Farrell's final interpretation of the Penguin did not lose this sinister feeling, despite not being able to smolder at the camera.
As it stands, fans can only imagine what this version of the Penguin might have felt like on screen. While the images drawn by Brockbank certainly do a good job conveying the feeling of the character depicted, it is entirely different to what finally appeared on the screen. Farrell's ultimate portrayal truly embodies the seedy underbelly of Gotham, and this original version of the Penguin might not have fit in with the rest of the gritty world Reeves created. Ultimately, no one will truly know if this version of the character could have worked in The Batman, but Farrell certainly looks good in those suits.
Source: The Art of the Batman/Twitter